Sunday, August 15, 2010

Tobacco Time

The chiclets and I have now survived our first week of school. During the early morning drive we have been noticing all of the tobacco wagons on the road.

Several barns are already full of tobacco curing in this high heat.

Side vents on the barn are also open to let in air. Although not the cash crop it used to be for our state, a few farmers in the area are growing it once again.

More high temperatures are in store for us today and tomorrow. However, there is supposed to be a break in the heat next week. It can't come soon enough. Several of my flowers have not tolerated the heat so well, but we have a booming crop of cherry tomatoes.

Sorry for raining on your parade,FarmChick, but I have spent many a day working with every aspect of raising tobacco.I have no desire to relive those days. I wish those who do raise it could find an alternate crop to grow, that would bring them as much, if not more money for the raising of it.I don't smoke and have a bad lung problem, but my husband will argue to the death, that it hasn't harmed him, and refuses to believe that it harms me.If they could find a way to use it for medicine,etc.,which I've heard they can, then more power to them, but not for smoking.Many years ago, when they hand picked the pests, and didn't use all those chemicals to discourage pests and suckers and weeds,it ,possibly, was not as bad on smokers, but now it simply has to be harmful.I do understand,though,"You gotta do, whatcha gotta do".

sawn - You are not raining on my parade. I was merely pointing out what was currently going on in our community. I don't smoke and don't allow it in my home. I don't support the tobacco industry, but it still is grown in our area.

School starts in 2 weeks here! Our little village's public school doesn't have air conditioning! I DO hope the weather breaks before my boys go back! We've lived in the AC all summer! What a rude awakening!

You brought back a wonderful memory for me that was the only day I helped harvest tobacco for a good friend of mine who was like a Father figure to me. I left that day with many blisters, and stained hands that only Joy dishwashing liquid could barely remove, and I got paid and had a great nourishing supper with his family. I do wish there was another way for farmers to make as much of a living on another crop other than tobacco. I do love the smell of curing tobacco, as much as I love the smell of corn ripening and drying in the fields on a humid summer evening. Thanks for the memories. Take care, from Fayette Co.

No tobacco grown in our area, mostly cotton, hay and soy bean. If you drive a couple hours south of here you will encounter the same tobacco barns loaded with drying tobacco.School starts Wednesday here. For both my son and I.My week off has been a short week and this summer has been a short one too. Sad to see it end.

Ah, yes, don't you mean the baby blue Sentra in which they tried to outrun the state trooper one night? The twins were always into something!

What I miss about tobacco (not the growing of it, that was back-breaking labor)is not seeing the fields of green and pink when it's in the flowering stage. I'm a non-smoker myself, but it is a strong shared cultural marker of our collective past back home.

All that tobacco reminds me of the "old south". I love the Civil War era of our history. I know it seems all romanticized now, but it must have been a horrible time with the war. I'll bet that tobacco smells good. But I hate tobacco smoke - we're not smokers. The wagons are sort of cool - they remind me of way back when...

Airedale Girl - Surprising that the twins grew up to have serious jobs in life! lol I do like seeing tobacco as it relates to the culture of the area and right now it is a wonderful shade of yellowish green in the fields.

I've never seen tabacco grown. Here in our area it is mostly avocados , strawberries and lettuce. We were a big orange tree area years ago, but not so much now. I thought the pictures were really interesting. I heard a lot of the tobacco goes to China now. It's heating up here now...I guess summer has arrived!

I can't even imagine the smell of the tobacco in the heat. We've harvested fescue and corn this year so far. The wheat is still in the field. The corn we chopped into silage and is cookin' under plastic tarps. It smells quite sweet!

makes me think of my sweet great pa who grew 'terbaccuh' on his farm....and of course he always had a pouch of levi garrett in his shirt pocket too. a wonderful man. as always, love your fantastic blog! happy wednesday lady!

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About Me

A transplant from the city trying to make a life in a small southern town....where everyone knows my business before I do. Known as a, "Farmchick", because I'm a little bit of farm and a lot of chick. Not famous in this small town, people just talk about me like I am.
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